Emperor Commodus - The Gladiator (2000)
Regardless of the historical inaccuracies, the Gladiator is a really entertaining flick. However, as it happens sometimes, real life is more extreme than the movies. That’s the case with the primary antagonist in this movie, Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix).
Emperor Commodus
- was a self-absorbed idiot, like in the movie
- his father, Emperor Marcus Aurelius, disapproved of him, but still consented to him becoming emperor (so Aurelius was not murdered by Commodus)
- thought of himself as a reincarnation of Hercules, and constructed statues of himself wearing a lion’s hide and holding a club all over the city
- did participate in gladiatorial combat himself, and won every single fight because he was the emperor (and thus the opponents’ lives were spared afterwards)
- charged the Roman government ONE MILLION Sestertii for every fight he participated in (equivalent to about 1100 Roman soldiers’ average annual salary)
- but people thought it was very lowly for an aristocrat to participate in gladiatorial fights, something slaves were meant to do
- enjoyed killing exotic animals in the arena, including elephants, giraffes, and even managed to finish off 100 lions in one day
- changed Rome’s name to Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana, after his own name (retracted after Commodus' assassination)
- changed the names of the twelve months of the calendar to his own twelve names (yes, he had twelve names)
- was assassinated by his trainer and wrestling partner, Narcissus, either in a bathtub or his bed (uncertain)
source: wikipedia

@BlackMage I heard that too. What's even more insane, was that they knew it and still used them. >_< It's amazing they lasted as long as they did. Also, thank you cracked.com for the useless info they always provide me.^^